This week I have decided to take a break from my multi-part series about activities to do with your dog to write about an issue that most dog owners are too embarrassed to ask me about but is more common than they realize. The fancy name for it is coprophagia but it is basically when your dog decides that it's own feces is a tasty treat. While even the thought of this behavior is too disgusting for most of us to ponder, some owners find themselves in this situation with their dogs and are at a loss as to why their dog is doing it. There has not been much scientific research conducted on this topic, and since we cannot simply ask them what is causing them to exhibit this behavior, we must simply take an educated guess as to why dogs develop this nasty habit. Below are some possible reasons for coprophagia and some solutions to try with your dog.
Health Issues- Anytime we have a seemingly unexplainable behavior issue, I always urge owners to rule out the possibility of a health problem. Here are some issues that can be related to coprophagia (DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a vet and this is in no way a complete listing of health issues related to this behavior. It is only meant to give a few examples).
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: EPI is brought about by a malfunctioning pancreas that is not creating enough digestive enzymes. This malfunction in the pancreas is due to a progressive loss of cells, usual caused by something called a pancreatic acinar atrophy. This atrophy can be the result of simple genetics, a blocked pancreatic duct or past infections.
Pancreatitis: This is an inflammation of the pancreas that can be caused by any number of factors. Infections, metabolic disorders, high amounts of lipid or calcium in the bloodstream trauma, certain medications, and obesity are all possibilities.
Intestinal infections: Infections can happen for any number of reasons, but parasites are usually the culprit with dogs.
Malabsorptive syndromes: The exact cause of this disorder is unknown, but there is speculation that it may be related to allergies to the proteins in certain cereal grains.
If your dog is exhibiting coprophagia, have a discussion with your vet about possible health reasons.
Compulsive behavior- Some dogs who are already prone to compulsive behaviors (think high energy, high drive dogs) that are not given a "job" to do, can develop this habit quite easily. It may sound strange to us but dogs learn behaviors from the mother of their litter first and most all of us know that a mother will clean up after the puppies in order to keep the whelping area sanitary (it is also thought that this may be nature's way of keeping predators from finding their puppies). If a pup that picks up on behaviors very quickly sees this, they may decide to try it themselves, especially if bored. Simply put, if they are out in the yard with no job and no toys they will make their own, even if it is their own excrement. If you have a dog that may fit into this category, make sure you are providing them with sufficient physical AND mental stimulation throughout the week (check out my blog entries about activities to do with your dog!) It may also be a good idea to buy your dog some outside toys for him to play with and try to get in a regular routine of disposing of his poop on a regular basis so it is not available for him to make it a toy.
Nutrition- What food you are feeding your dog can effect the issue of coprophagia. If you are feeding a food that is too high in protein for the dog, it can lead to poop eating. Because you are feeding them more protein than they can absorb, some of that protein comes out exactly like it went in, and therefore seems desirable to the dog. Another issue related to nutrition would be if you are feeding a dog food that contains a lot of "fillers" like corn. When your dog eats a dog food that is mostly made up of elements that they do not digest or use, once again their poop can come out looking , smelling, and even tasting a lot like it did when they ate it the first time. Feeding a lower quality food can also lead to a deficiency in your dog's diet. Some believe that a Vitamin B deficiency will cause coprophagia. Next time you are at the store to buy dog food, take a look at the ingredients before you buy the food. If you are at a pet specialty store, they probably have an employee that can discuss food options with you or you can talk to your vet or trainer about your dog's nutrition. Simply switching their food may help you eliminate this behavior.
Overfeeding- Not just WHAT you are feeding but HOW MUCH can effect your dog. If you are feeding your dog more food than it needs, it may have trouble absorbing all the nutrients of the dog food (even if you are using a high quality food). If this is the case, than once again, their feces comes out much like it went in the first time as dog food. Your dog's food should have feeding guidelines based on your dog's weight, use that as a suggestion for how much you should be feeding your dog. However, every dog's metabolism is slightly different so your dog may require more or less than that suggestion.
Attention Seeking- This may sound strange at first, but once explained, makes quite a bit of sense. Simply put, the dog does it to get our attention and boy do they get it! We may yell, gag, run at them, or just simply talk to them in disgust at the behavior they are exhibiting. This theory is not unlike what I tell my students about a dog who jumps on you even after repeated sessions of what you consider teaching him not to. These sessions usually involve you pushing the dog off of you, giving him a dirty look, and yelling at him. Most owners are amazed that the dog continues to jump. Why? Well because dogs are a lot like celebrities, even bad publicity is still publicity (Hey, at least they are talking about me!) So if before the jumping, you were not paying any attention to your dog, and now that he has jumped you are giving him physical touch (pushing him off), eye contact (dirty look), and talking to him (yelling), he has gotten what he wanted. Your dog loves you and desires your attention so much that he would rather be yelled at then be ignored. The same can be true for coprophagia, if he knows he can get your attention by doing it, angry or not, he will! If this is the possible reason for your dog's coprophagia, keeping their feces picked up as regularly as possible so that they cannot perform the behavior and providing them with more attention linked to positive behaviors is a good place to start.
These are just a few of the speculative reasons for this unpleasant behavior, if you try some of the suggestions listed above to no avail, it may be time to enlist the help of a professional trainer to modify their behavior.
Health Issues- Anytime we have a seemingly unexplainable behavior issue, I always urge owners to rule out the possibility of a health problem. Here are some issues that can be related to coprophagia (DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a vet and this is in no way a complete listing of health issues related to this behavior. It is only meant to give a few examples).
Exocrine pancreatic insufficiency: EPI is brought about by a malfunctioning pancreas that is not creating enough digestive enzymes. This malfunction in the pancreas is due to a progressive loss of cells, usual caused by something called a pancreatic acinar atrophy. This atrophy can be the result of simple genetics, a blocked pancreatic duct or past infections.
Pancreatitis: This is an inflammation of the pancreas that can be caused by any number of factors. Infections, metabolic disorders, high amounts of lipid or calcium in the bloodstream trauma, certain medications, and obesity are all possibilities.
Intestinal infections: Infections can happen for any number of reasons, but parasites are usually the culprit with dogs.
Malabsorptive syndromes: The exact cause of this disorder is unknown, but there is speculation that it may be related to allergies to the proteins in certain cereal grains.
If your dog is exhibiting coprophagia, have a discussion with your vet about possible health reasons.
Compulsive behavior- Some dogs who are already prone to compulsive behaviors (think high energy, high drive dogs) that are not given a "job" to do, can develop this habit quite easily. It may sound strange to us but dogs learn behaviors from the mother of their litter first and most all of us know that a mother will clean up after the puppies in order to keep the whelping area sanitary (it is also thought that this may be nature's way of keeping predators from finding their puppies). If a pup that picks up on behaviors very quickly sees this, they may decide to try it themselves, especially if bored. Simply put, if they are out in the yard with no job and no toys they will make their own, even if it is their own excrement. If you have a dog that may fit into this category, make sure you are providing them with sufficient physical AND mental stimulation throughout the week (check out my blog entries about activities to do with your dog!) It may also be a good idea to buy your dog some outside toys for him to play with and try to get in a regular routine of disposing of his poop on a regular basis so it is not available for him to make it a toy.
Nutrition- What food you are feeding your dog can effect the issue of coprophagia. If you are feeding a food that is too high in protein for the dog, it can lead to poop eating. Because you are feeding them more protein than they can absorb, some of that protein comes out exactly like it went in, and therefore seems desirable to the dog. Another issue related to nutrition would be if you are feeding a dog food that contains a lot of "fillers" like corn. When your dog eats a dog food that is mostly made up of elements that they do not digest or use, once again their poop can come out looking , smelling, and even tasting a lot like it did when they ate it the first time. Feeding a lower quality food can also lead to a deficiency in your dog's diet. Some believe that a Vitamin B deficiency will cause coprophagia. Next time you are at the store to buy dog food, take a look at the ingredients before you buy the food. If you are at a pet specialty store, they probably have an employee that can discuss food options with you or you can talk to your vet or trainer about your dog's nutrition. Simply switching their food may help you eliminate this behavior.
Overfeeding- Not just WHAT you are feeding but HOW MUCH can effect your dog. If you are feeding your dog more food than it needs, it may have trouble absorbing all the nutrients of the dog food (even if you are using a high quality food). If this is the case, than once again, their feces comes out much like it went in the first time as dog food. Your dog's food should have feeding guidelines based on your dog's weight, use that as a suggestion for how much you should be feeding your dog. However, every dog's metabolism is slightly different so your dog may require more or less than that suggestion.
Attention Seeking- This may sound strange at first, but once explained, makes quite a bit of sense. Simply put, the dog does it to get our attention and boy do they get it! We may yell, gag, run at them, or just simply talk to them in disgust at the behavior they are exhibiting. This theory is not unlike what I tell my students about a dog who jumps on you even after repeated sessions of what you consider teaching him not to. These sessions usually involve you pushing the dog off of you, giving him a dirty look, and yelling at him. Most owners are amazed that the dog continues to jump. Why? Well because dogs are a lot like celebrities, even bad publicity is still publicity (Hey, at least they are talking about me!) So if before the jumping, you were not paying any attention to your dog, and now that he has jumped you are giving him physical touch (pushing him off), eye contact (dirty look), and talking to him (yelling), he has gotten what he wanted. Your dog loves you and desires your attention so much that he would rather be yelled at then be ignored. The same can be true for coprophagia, if he knows he can get your attention by doing it, angry or not, he will! If this is the possible reason for your dog's coprophagia, keeping their feces picked up as regularly as possible so that they cannot perform the behavior and providing them with more attention linked to positive behaviors is a good place to start.
These are just a few of the speculative reasons for this unpleasant behavior, if you try some of the suggestions listed above to no avail, it may be time to enlist the help of a professional trainer to modify their behavior.
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